It has been a conventional practice, particularly in the formation of strands of filaments from heat-softened mineral material such as glass to wind the strand of filaments upon a rotating sleeve at a speed desired for the attenuation of filaments of a particular diameter and when the package of wound strand is completed, the attenuation and winding operation is interrupted by the operator de-energizing the motor rotating the collecting sleeve or spool, bringing the spool or sleeve to a condition of rest, breaking the strand of filaments manually, and removing the strand package from the winding collet.
The operator manually places a strand-free sleeve or collector upon the collet and initiates rotation of the collet to re-establish attenuation of filaments by winding. During the start-up or initial period of rotation of the collet and the start-up or initial period of rotation of the collet and sleeve, the filaments formed are of larger size than desired and are of varying size until the collet is brought up to the required winding speed.
During this period the filaments are initially wound upon an extension of the collet until the collet reaches the desired winding speed at which time the skilled operator moves the strand manually into cooperative association with a traverse means which performs the function of distributing the strand material lengthwise of the sleeve or collector in superposed layers in the formation of a complete package. When the package is completed and rotation ceases, the operator removes the initially wound strand from the collet which is discarded as waste material.
There has been an effort for years to develop better methods and apparatus for collecting strand of newly formed filaments. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,539,317, 3,666,431, 3,090,570, 3,292,871 and 3,408,012 show some of the prior art winders.
Prior winder systems have not been fully satisfactory. Some systems require very skilled operators for manually starting package build. Some systems require precise speed relationship between collets for strand transfer. Other systems are dependent upon the surface adhesion characteristic of the collet and the strand. With these systems strand with some sizings will not work.
Therefore, there is a need for a reliable mechanical system for starting up wound strand packages, winding packages, ending packages when they are complete, and transferring strand from a completed package collet to an empty collet ready to wind a package.